For those gathered at Ground Round to watch the UND hockey game Friday, eating and drinking took a back seat to the action on the TV screens surrounding them.
Maybe they took sips of their drinks during timeouts, but food was left for breaks between periods to ensure no one missed a second of the action.
The Grand Forks restaurant on 32nd Avenue was full for a North Dakota Champions Club-sponsored watch party for the matchup with Northeastern at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championship in Cincinnati.
Related: UND downs Northeastern, one win away from Frozen Four
ADVERTISEMENT
"We're huge supporters of UND," Matt Walkowiak, Ground Round owner, said.
Every TV screen in the restaurant had the hockey game on, and when Grand Forks-native Luke Johnson scored UND's third goal just before the end of the first period, cheers erupted.
"Lots of hometown connections on all the goals so far," Jon Conn, of Grand Forks, said.
Conn sat at a long table with friends to watch the game, including Chuck Hughes, a fellow hockey fan who played hockey for East Grand Forks High School a few decades ago.
"It's fun when they're winning," Hughes said, explaining that he expected to see UND win the game because "they've got the better team."
When their pal Annella Winger showed up, they showed her the UND plastic necklaces, green sunglasses and pom-poms scattered on the tables for fans.
"Oh for cute!" Winger exclaimed as she sat down at the table.
Winger, a UND alum who graduated in 1981, is a big UND fan, she said, and she enjoys the watch parties like the one at Ground Round Friday.
ADVERTISEMENT
"It's fun getting together with friends and cheering for our team," Winger said.
MaryJo Sturman sat at another table with her son, Jesse Sturman. The mother and son are big UND hockey fans, they said.
"They rock," MaryJo Sturman said, referring to UND. "They're the best."
